Waipara lies at one of the points of the Alpine Pacific Triangle,[3] which also includes the major tourist centres of Hanmer Springs and Kaikōura.

The Weka Pass Railway has its base in Waipara, and runs on 12 kilometres of track between there and Waikari over the former route of the Waiau Branch, a branch line railway that diverged from the Main North Line and ran to Waiau.

The Glenmark church reopened in December 2023, having been damaged during the 2010 Christchurch earthquakes and then closed for repairs.

[6] The Waipara region has a reputation as a premium area for the production of Pinot noir, Riesling and Chardonnay.

Waipara is sheltered by the Teviot hills from the prevailing cool easterly winds and has the highest summer temperatures and the lowest rainfall of any of the New Zealand wine regions.

Because of this, Waipara has over 26 wineries and 80 vineyards within the valley, which collectively produce around 100,000 cases of award-winning wine in an average year.

Work is ongoing to plant native species in Waipara's shelter belts, stream boundaries, pond edges and vineyard borders.

[14] The application attracted local opposition[15][16] and a community group was established to oppose the proposal.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 69.2% had no religion, and 20.2% were Christian.